Chapter 1: "The name's Alexzander"

Six figures enshrouded in smoke and shadows stood in front of him. All but one were turned towards him, staring at him with their white pupils, and not long after, he wakes up again in a cold sweat. The same dream had been haunting him ever since he first hit puberty, and he still struggles to make any sense of it, but he still feels drawn to it, as if it was a missing part of him needed to feel whole. Not long after contemplating it, with his eyes closed, he lazily reaches for his glasses, put them on, and drags his feet to the bathroom to get ready despite already being an hour late on his first day of college.

Upon entering the auditorium, he was greeted with an empty room, save for one young woman frantically arranging paperwork. Upon seeing the room barren, he turns around to leave but was interrupted by a voice calling out to him.

“Hey! Ponytail!” Seeing as he was the only one in the room, and coincidentally wore a ponytail, he made the decision to keep walking out anyways, and for some strange reason, he thought that if he walked slower and took careful steps, she would not notice him leaving, as if she was some wild animal that could only sense movement. Seeing this, she made a swift dash and appeared right in front of him and spread her arms out to block his path. On closer inspection, she was considerably shorter than him, shrimpy in stature, and wore large black rimmed glasses. Her hair was tied up as well, and she wore a hairclip which revealed a rather small forehead; she also wore a cardigan, and a rather old-fashioned outfit, with a name tag that read Rita Orchid. Oh great, a textbook nerd, he thought to himself. “You’re here for the orientation, right? Well, just so you know, you’re late, late and late! Everyone’s already moved on to the west wing, and I suggest you join them quick. Name please, so I can give you your welcome package already.”

“Bel Forger.” He blankly exclaimed.

Scanning the names on her clipboard with her finger, she looked back up to him annoyed and said, “You sure that’s your name? I don’t see it.”

“Anabelle… Anabelle Forger…” he replied, this time sounding defeated.

“Oh, Anabelle, there it is. Why didn’t you just say that the first time?” He chose not to reply and awkwardly shifted his eyes away. “Whatever, here’s your welcome package. It should include your student card and a welcome pamphlet. You can go join the other students now but honestly, I don’t think you’ll make it” she said condescendingly. Acknowledging the cold words, he walked out and gave up on attempting to catch up with the other students.

The welcome package was a simple white envelope with the insignia of the school stamped on it, which resembled a white-horned owl, along with the name of the recipient. Everything inside was in line with what Rita mentioned, except for one particular item, a bronze pin. The pin was circular, and surrounded by jagged spikes, with the most stand-out feature being the eye symbol placed in the middle. Weird, Bel thought to himself, as he pocketed the pin and headed back home.

* * *

The first week of college flew by fast, with not much happening. Bel was of course, used to this quiet, repetitive lifestyle. During his youth, he would wake up, go to school, and sleep as soon as he got back home, and this was the routine he stuck by, it was no surprise the everything seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye, but he gave very little thought to changing how he lived his life, and the times where he did have thoughts about how unfulfilling life had been for him, it was quickly washed away by the thought of actually having to go out of his way and working to change his pitiful situation. Going to college was also no deep interest of his, as he only took it to pass the time, and it was simply the next stage in his idea of life before work, retirement, and eventually death.

At the start of that second week, as he made his way through campus, he noticed that it felt busier than usual. There were stands put up all around the atrium and along the pathway that led to the outer areas of the campus. Colorful posters, signs, and banners were posted everywhere that read various different messages, but all along the lines of Join Our Club!

Walking by, almost none of the clubs had really caught Bel’s attention. He entertained the idea of joining one on a whim, for an experience to say, but his daydreams all ended up in him quitting within the first hour. The line of stands reached the outdoor areas of the campus as well, and as he walked by, daydreaming what it’d be like in each club, he stumbled across something that looked rather familiar. It was a small wooden stand, barely decorated, with a sign on top that had Occult Club crudely written on it, and beside the text, a logo that was identical to the pin that was in his welcome package. He pulled out the pin from his pocket just to confirm it, surely enough, it was the same, and he swiftly tucked it away.

The stand was managed by three people, all looking bored in their own ways. A pink haired girl sat with her chair leaned back and feet on the table of the stand, looking directly at the sky and occasionally rocking back and forth, and next to her was a brooding guy that had dark locs, resting his face on his hand with his elbow on the table; he clearly looked annoyed at how the girl was sitting next to him. The last guy was larger and had a tan on him, he was blonde, but you could see his roots in desperate need of a re-dye, and he wore a yellow hoodie with a cyber sigil print of a heart symbol. Blondie sat with his arms crossed, and seemingly asleep, but not long after, he opened an eye and stared directly at Bel who was staring right back. For some reason, Blondie looked extremely surprised, and a wide grin was suddenly plastered on his face. He frantically waved his arms and called out to Bel, “Hey! You, yeah, you! C’mere real quick!” The shouting alerted the other two as well, and both started to share the same surprised looks on their faces but said nothing. Shocked by the sudden turn of events, Bel turned tail and ran off.

That was weird, Bel thought to himself. Why were they so surprised to see him in particular? Other clubs that advertised near them were actively approaching people and trying to recruit new members, but no one in the Occult Club had moved an inch before meeting eyes with Bel. He pondered further and considered the possibility that they spotted him holding the pin, but by the time he tucked the pin back in, they were still lost in their own worlds. Trying not to overthink the situation, Bel continued with the rest of the day and headed back home.

* * *

“Hey, it’s for you”, the disheveled looking man on the other side of the door said to Bel, while trying to pass the telephone to him. “Listen man, I don’t know what’s goin’ on, but it’s the 21st century, tell her to call your cell next time.” Bel gave an awkward nod and took the phone. “Make sure to go downstairs and put the phone back when you’re done,” the man exclaimed loudly as he turned back and disappeared into the hallways.

“Why haven’t you been picking up my calls? Your father and I are very worried about you. It’s been a week, and you’ve barely called!” cried the old lady at the end of the other line.

“It’s only been a week mom, and this first week’s been kinda busy for me” Bel pathetically retorted.

“It’s just a call, Bel.”

“Okay, I know, I know. I’m sorry, I promise I’ll text you back next time.”

“Call.”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“Call you back, yes, that’s what I said. Okay, the guy who gave me the dormitory phone looked pretty ticked off that you called on the landline, I think I should go now-”

“And you’re not even going to ask about your father? He’s still bedridden you know, and his condition isn’t getting any better. Sometimes I just can’t tell what you’re thinking Bel.”

“I’m sorry Mom, I hope Dad gets better… I gotta go now.”

The call was abruptly hung up right after. What hurt Bel the most was not the fact that the call ended in such an unfulfilling manner, it was the fact that he was not the one that had hung up. His head hung low whilst walking down the quiet halls as he made his way downstairs to put the phone back. Although the feeling of guilt for how little he cared about his parents was what should have crushed him, it was more so the absence of the feeling, as if, it was the guilt of realizing that he did not feel especially guilty about it, was what sent him even deeper into a pit of self-loathing. Looking back, he had always lived his life feeling indifferent towards those in front of him, and his parents were no exception to this rule

* * *

Trying to sleep after the debacle was a nigh impossible feat for Bel, who had a habit of overthinking social interactions and confrontations, including familial ones. After hours of writhing in bed, staring at the ceiling, and covering his face with a blanket to shield himself from the strong light of the full moon that seemed to pierce right through his curtains, he decided to give up, threw on a pair of loose cargo pants and sneakers, and decided to go on a night stroll to tire himself.

The vast outdoor areas outside of the dormitories were large enough for it to be considered a park. Trees were spaced evenly with one another, with bushes placed in between each tree. There was even a large lake placed deeper in the park, and the way it reflected the moonlight made it a popular romantic spot for couples to spend time during the dead of night. However, that night was unlike other nights, where the park would occasionally have other students walking by, sitting on benches, or even studying, it was completely desolate. Bel figured that the regulars might’ve all gathered at lake, as the full moon would have reflected a beautiful glow on the still waters.

Out of rare curiosity, he decided to confirm his suspicions and headed over to the lake. As he got closer, he started to faintly see the moonlight’s reflection piercing through the trees surrounding the lake. He could make out a person on the other side of the trees, admiring at something in the direction of the lake, and then another person, and another, and another. By the time he fully reached there, he saw about a dozen people surrounding the lake in the dead of night, some standing, and some sitting, but all staring at the oddly beautiful glow of the lake. It was as though everyone staring were caught in a trance. Their eyes were white, and all their expressions were completely frozen, some were smiling, and some stared blankly, but none were distraught.

Bel was taken aback by what he was witnessing, he did not bother to touch any of the frozen people and decided to direct his gaze to the lake. It gave off a reflection that was indeed bright and beautiful; however, the brightness was something far too powerful to be caused by only a full moon. It did not take long for Bel realize what was happening, and before he knew it, his gaze was suddenly broken by the sight of a fishing hook flying through the air and snatching a man who was frozen right beside him; the man flew directly into the lake, forever lost in its glow. Afterwards, the light seemed to shine even brighter, another hook was thrown, and another person was dragged, and the light grew brighter yet again.

Not wasting any more time, Bel decided to turn tail and run for his life, however, a hook was thrown right at him, catching him by the collar. He fell, over backwards, but he gripped the soil beneath him, and adamantly tried to crawl away. Still being dragged by the unrelenting force of whatever was on the other side, he turned around, wrapped his hands around the fishing line, a terrible idea in hindsight, but he did not care, and he screamed at the top of his lungs and pulled with all his might. The force eased, the line had loosened, and the light had seemingly disappeared. Bel thought it was all over, until the swift realization that whatever was on the other end of the line was coming straight at him. A large, dark figure flew over his head and stopped right in front of his tracks. It towered over him, nearly double his height, on top that, the figure was bulky, and its face was shrouded in darkness underneath the hood of the large, grimy fisherman’s coat it wore. Not a sign of skin was showing, as it also wore gloves and a rubber boot, with its second leg being a wooden peg, but what Bel was worried about the most was the fishing pole.

It was far more intimidating up close. The hook was larger, and covered in spikes, almost like a Morningstar. “Hey, hey man… Look, I don’t want any trouble, okay? I’ll promise to leave and go back home", Bel cried out.

“Home… Back home… So dark… but it’s so dark!” The figure wailed in a low, coarse voice.

A Morningstar was an accurate description, as shortly after, it reeled the line back and flailed the hook around, before inevitably sending it crashing down in Bel’s direction. In fear, Bel covered his face and pushed his palms out as if trying to block the devasting blow. A strange blue light seemingly jumped out from his body, and the hook completely stopped midair. Bel stared in awe and confusion at what stood before him, it was figure that looked just like him, except translucent, entirely blue, and glowing, as if his soul was separated from his body, but Bel realized he could move just fine and took to the opportunity to get back up and run away, making his way through the trees and out of the lake area.

“What’s going on, what’s going on, what’s going on?” Bel muttered to himself while running. “I’m dreaming, I’m dreaming, I’m dreaming” he continued muttering to himself until he was breathless, for the first time in his life, he actually applied himself and tried to live, and could he not help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation that finally caused him to do so. Forced to catch his breath, he briefly stopped in his tracks and bent over, staring at the ground with his hands on his knees, but this proved to be a fatal mistake, as the fishing hook blasted right through the trees, breaking everything its path, and hit Bel square on the back. He fell over, and for a moment, was pleasantly surprised to find himself still breathing, but that moment of relief did not last long, as he could hear the Fisherman slowly approach him. Its rubber boot made a horrible thumping noise, and its wooden leg dragged through the soil. As it got closer, Bel crawled and crawled away with every ounce of strength he had left, but it was to no avail. All he could see in front of him was the pin he had tucked away in his pocket lying on the ground.

“Please, please someone help… I’m sorry, I’m sorry for everything. I promise to help people when I can, I promise to stop being some bystander and thinking nothing that ever happens in front of me is any of my business, I promise to not waste my life!” He declared to himself, with tears streaming down his eyes in regret. The tears did not last long, as he steeled himself and turned his body around to face the monster. It stood still and reached its hand inside its coat and pulled out a lantern that gave off a bright white light. Afterwards, it proceeded to pull the lantern close to its hood, revealing a rotted face, resembling an anglerfish, with big, white, bulbous eyes, and jagged sharp teeth. “Don’t go without a light! It’s too dark, you’ll drown!” it yelled out. Bel laid in silence. “You’ll get lost… I need light, I’ll get light for you! So don’t go, don’t go just yet my boy!” it wailed again, this time however, flailing its hook again and winding up for another strike.

As the hook was about to slam down again, Bel reached out his hand hoping for whatever miracle that was bestowed upon him earlier to manifest itself again and give him another chance. He closed his eyes in acceptance, but fate had other plans, as a thundering roar greeted his ears, and a yellow flash pierced right through his eyelids. For a moment, he thought he managed to save himself again with that mysterious power, but shortly after opening his eyes, he understood that he had been saved by a force much greater. As Bel was laying on the ground, all he could see was the back of a man standing on top of him, his right arm single-handedly blocking the hook, and the force of its strike causing his blond hair and unzipped tracksuit to wave wildly in the air. For a moment, his head turned to the side, giving Bel a smile of reassurance, but what Bel saw was pure unadulterated confidence, before turning back to the opponent, who roared in anger, charging up for yet another blow. The man changed his stance, pulling his left arm inwards towards his body, Bel could see it glow bright yellow, and before the hook could strike down again, the man drove his fist straight through the Fisherman with absolutely no resistance, causing it to let out a final cry, before exploding and evaporating into thin air. Bel could feel the force, the air shook violently, and the few trees behind where the Fisherman had stood were blown into pieces.

“Whoops, looks like I overdid it again.” he said out loud, letting out a light chuckle. He turned around back to Bel, and after seeing his face clearly, the tanned skin, and the spiky blond hair in desperate need of a re-dye, he recognized who the man was. “Check it out”, the man said, while he tugged at his arm band, which had the Occult Club’s symbol, the same as Bel’s pin, printed on it. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the name’s Alexzander, what’s yours?” he asked, reaching his hand out to pick Bel up off the ground. The moonlight shone on his palm like a spotlight. Bel tried to sit up, one arm on the ground supporting his weight, and the other reaching out for Alexzander’s hand. As their palms met, Bel could only utter out one phrase in response,

“I think I need to call my mom…”